Jay Meehan: A Nobel Peace Prize for Trump might top even Kissinger’s

"It is nature that causes all movement. Deluded by ego, the fool harbors the perception that says "I did it."

~ Bhagavad-Gita

It would seem that, every so often, the five members of the Norwegian Parliament charged with making the annual selection not only considerably lower the bar but remove it entirely.”

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Now that South Korean President Moon Jae-in jumped on board, it seems that the Trump Nobel Peace Prize bandwagon has indeed left the station. Hopefully the booze car will be open 24/7. Too bad Hunter Thompson couldn't have hung around for this.

I recall vividly tossing back a cup of Virg's peyote tea and catching a shuttle flight down Main Street to "The Forge" saloon upon hearing that Henry Kissinger had received the same award back in '73. "Boy, they'll never top this," I mentioned at the time.

It would seem that, every so often, the five members of the Norwegian Parliament charged with making the annual selection not only considerably lower the bar but remove it entirely. Not that Russian hacking would be a thumb on their scale or anything.

But what if North Korean President Kim Jong-un were to keep repeating his recent "assurances" of abandoning his nuclear program in exchange for an official ending of the Korean War coupled with a non-aggression pact with the U.S.?

I can just picture our esteemed leader standing in front of the mirror juggling the possibility of a Nobel Peace Prize against his overriding desire to smite that little squirt in Pyongyang. All while wondering, "How come he gets a parade and I don't? Where's the justice?"

Wherever Kim and Trump choose to meet, whether in the Joint Sanctuary Area of the Korean DMZ, some "foodie" hangout in Indonesia recommended by Anthony Bourdain, or the Walk-In Cooler of the Timpanogos Tavern in Heber City, Utah, you just know Trump is going to be sporting a tie of more length and pigment than anything from Kim's rack.

Bourdain made the cut due to his recent episode of "Parts Unknown" from the heart of West Virginia coal country, or as he put it going in, "the heart of God, guns, Trump, and football — all of which I really don't relate to in any way." His exit interview was much more understanding of the mindset, however.

He characterized it this way: "Here in the heart of every belief system I've ever mocked or fought against, I was welcomed with open arms by everyone. I found a place both heartbreaking and beautiful — a place that symbolizes and contains everything wrong and everything hopeful about America."

No "bout adout" it, it was some great TV. They weren't afraid to get in his face and neither was he to return serve. Bourdain's ending said it all: "Whatever your views, respect these people — what they do and what they've paid." Amen! It's easy for me to jump on board. Some of my best friends are Trump folks!

Of course, some of my best friends also hate him! The fact that I identify more with the latter group, however, doesn't make me love the former any less. John Prine, as usual, gets to the heart of the matter: "Cause you got gold, gold inside of you. Well I got some

gold inside me too."

So here we are. Admittedly, there existed an uncomfortable layer of acknowledgment once Obama got his Peace Nobel, infinitesimal as it was. Due more than anything, I suppose, to the fact that my passion reaches its Nobel apex at the intersection of the Literature Prize and the fact that I am an Obama fan.

Not to say I don't keep in touch with the Medicine, Chemistry, Economics, and Physics laureates and the nuances of their collective work. It's just that being somewhat of a "slow study," my learning curve is less hyperbolic than I attempt to imply.

The only upside I envision if Trump were to actually walk away with such an honor would be when the Scandinavian Royals-in-question attempted to mate a green laurel wreath with his prematurely orange headdress.

Don't you think that Donald might get just a bit fidgety up there in the same pantheon as Martin Luther King Jr., Malala Yousafzai, Mother Teresa, and Elie Wiesel? You never know, Henry Kissinger might even stage a walkout.

Jay Meehan is a culture junkie and has been an observer, participant, and chronicler of the Park City and Wasatch County social and political scenes for more than 40 years.